Aspiring entrepreneurs

Sometimes hobbies have a way of growing into something more.

That was the case for Megan Metzger '05, who began babysitting in high school to save money for college. By the time the Greensboro native came to UNCG, she had 50 clients, all of whom she kept track of on a rolodex.

When I started class, I didn't have the same availability. So I'd run down the halls and ask friends, Do you babysit? I wanted to make my clients happy.

After her friends would sit for a family, she’d call the parents to see how it went. She asked them to always call her first but if she couldn't do it, she'd find someone else for them.

In the meantime, Metzger was working on her business degree, thinking she'd ideally like to work at the Center for Creative Leadership, just like her mother.

But as time went by, it became apparent she had a business on her hands. With an attorney friend's help, she incorporated as Preferred ChildCare. The business now has 500 clients and 192 sitters. And she's expanding.

Two weeks ago, Metzger opened a branch in Atlanta. And ultimately, she hopes to open another one in North Carolina.

Metzger embodies the entrepreneurial spirit UNCG is becoming known for. Last year, UNCG established the North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center (NCEC). This fall, it launched a new major in entrepreneurship as well as a post-baccalaureate certificate in entrepreneurship.

And it doesn't end there. In addition to training future entrepreneurs, the center wants to help alumni and current entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

It's equipped to help business owners in seven targeted areas:

creative industries

family business

franchising

health care entrepreneurship

international entrepreneurship

social entrepreneurship

technology entrepreneurship

Among the fee-based services offered, the center's personnel will consult with emerging and established entrepreneurs to work on business plans, strategic thinking, marketing and accounting.

Metzger sees this new direction as a plus.

(Preferred ChildCare) would not have happened if I had gone to any other college, Metzger said. And now, with the new center and degree, UNCG has even more to offer. The teaching from experienced professors  that personal knowledge  is what UNCG does differently.

Metzger feels UNCG has given her so much that she's happy to come back and speak to business classes about her experience, she said. She also serves on the board for the NCEC and is vice-president of the UNCG Alumni Association Board of Directors.